


Playing House

by historicallyredacted (lockandkey)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: A Lot of Issues, M/M, boys have issues, coming to terms with sexuality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 20:25:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15871125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lockandkey/pseuds/historicallyredacted
Summary: The son of Venus cuts through his facade. Things get worse before they get better.





	Playing House

**Author's Note:**

> This will only be around 3 chapters, and it is about 90% written already. I'm throwing up shit I already have done before moving to things that need more focus (like the final Caged chapter)
> 
> Adding to the huge amount of- oh.....oh right...there's only like three mike/leo fics.

  
  
“Leo, there’s someone we’d like you to meet.”  
  
Pushing back from one of his many workbenches, while yarding off headphones and dark goggles, Leo looked over his shoulder to see Hazel, Nico, and Reyna…and one more figure that Leo nearly mistook for Frank. Leo hadn’t heard them come in, but that wasn’t unusual. Part of him sort of regretted putting in that second entrance to the Bunker, one that could be accessed by anyone and not just someone who had fire magic.  
  
“This is Michael, or Mike, Kahale. He is the centurion of the 1st Cohort.” Reyna introduced, and the man stepped forward. He was big, maybe even bigger than Frank or Butch. His hair was chopped short, as was the norm for Roman guys.  
Reyna herself looked terrifying and amazing, as per the norm as well.  
  
Leo untangled himself, dipped under a few wires, and stood up to brush off his very dirty and oily hands.  
  
“Hey Mike, sorry, I’d shake but…”  
  
“I’d rather you didn’t.” There was a hint of accent in his tone, Leo guessed probably Hawaiian. In name and appearance, the guy seemed Polynesian. More Rock ‘the Dwayne’ Johnson, rather than Taika Waititi.  
  
“Right, yeah, gross hands. So, what can I do for you guys?” Leo looked to his friends questioningly; they’d never introduced many Roman kids to him before. Hell, Leo had a hard time remembering everyone in Camp Half Blood with all the time he spent in the Bunker these days. “You need weapons? Robot army? Explosives? Because, baby, I’ma firework~.”  
  
Hazel laughed and shook her head; even Nico cracked a bit of a grudging smile, he was in much better spirits these days (no pun intended); Reyna was a harder nut to crack, though they weren’t on bad terms.  
  
“Michael,” Reyna started, and stopped, licking her lips in thought. “Michael asked specifically to meet you.”  
  
“Yeah?” Leo cocked his head with a crooked grin, and looked up at the guy. “Well, uh, nice to meet you. Do…you need anything? I’m always glad to help out Camp Jupiter.”  
  
“Except when you fired on our city, you mean.” Michael spoke evenly, his facial expression didn’t change. He didn’t radiate anger or annoyance, like Frank had when they first met. Leo couldn’t read him at all. That made him uncomfortable.  
  
Leo froze, and exchanged a look with Hazel. “Um, well. I was... _super_ possessed at the time. You could ask Piper if y-”  
  
“If you wouldn’t mind, leave us,” Michael turned to the Roman girls and Nico. “We need to speak privately.”  
  
“I don’t think that is a good idea,” Nico said gravely, Reyna looked like she agreed strongly. Hazel just seemed a bit concerned, she didn’t seem know why the other centurion was upset.  
  
Leo’s brows lowered, and he contemplated pulling out a big wrench from his toolbelt just as a precautionary measure. It wasn’t like Leo couldn’t guess why some Romans would have a problem with him, Michael was right, like it or not Leo was sort of responsible for firing on the camp and rekindling an old war. Granted, that was over a year ago, and they’d fried bigger fish since then.  
  
“Woah, okay guy, I really don’t think we need to speak _privately_. Anything you want to say, and or do to me, you can say in front of them.” He settled on crossing his arms, knowing if the centurion decided on attacking, Leo could always just go human fireball.  
  
“Have it your way,” Michael Kahale said, tone still not changing. That worried Leo more than the other man’s height and weight advantage. Leo was used to creating some sort of emotional effect in other people, and some deities, be it amusement or (usually) anger. Leo didn’t exactly know how to handle apathy.  
  
“I’ve been reading up on you, Leo Valdez. At the time, I wanted to know the person whose death I was responsible for.”  
  
“Wait, pause and rewind, I’m confused,” Leo held up his hand, shaking his head. “When exactly did you kill me? I think I’d remember you killing me.”  
  
“…Michael was the one who fired the _onager_.” Nico said softly, looking at the ground instead of at Leo. Leo already knew this story, but he hadn’t known it was Michael Kahale.  The _onager_ that killed Octavian and hit Leo, blasting him to Ogygia.   
  
“Oh,” Leo frowned, and then looked up at Michael with a wide smile. “Hey, don’t worry about it! I nearly kill me every other week, it’s no biggie! Hell, I think I died for a couple minutes last month, right Hazel?”   
  
“Your heart stopped for a minute, and I’ll never forgive you for taking that risk.” Hazel glared, but there was a softness to it. Hazel had an inability to stay angry at Leo which he definitely took for granted.  
  
“You’re pathetic, Leo Valdez.” Michael said, pulling Leo from the moment.   
  
“Excuse me?” Leo gaped, trying not to laugh. Leo agreed, sure, but calling him out on it? “Who are _you_ to be calling me-“  
  
“You lie to your supposed ‘friends’, you hide things from them, you hide things from yourself.  When I found out my actions, or lack of action, were responsible for the death of another beyond that of Octavian, I felt remorse. I had killed the person who went to such lengths to defeat Gaia, who stopped the war. I didn’t know you had been the one to start it; that you were the one who put yourself in a place to be killed.”  
  
Leo opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, brows knit together. He had been having a nice day, what the hell happened? Woke up, looked in the mirror and didn’t completely hate what he saw, hung out with Piper and Jason for an hour or two, didn’t mope over Calypso, worked on a few projects- it _had_ been a perfectly good day.  
  
“I do not, and will not feel any remorse for helping out your own grandiose suicide plot.”  
  
“Michael!” Reyna hissed, and Hazel’s hackles were rising. His friend and sister being upset similarly put Nico on guard.  
  
“Hey, fuck you!” Leo took a step towards the hulking lad, shaking off Hazel as she grabbed for his arm, and jabbed Michael in the gut. He’d have jabbed him in the chest, but Michael Kahale had nearly 2 heads on him.  “I _had_ a plan. I _always_ have a plan. Don’t take out your issues on me, you don’t even know me.”  
  
“Tell me this so called plan,” Michael said, just above a whisper, and snagged Leo’s wrist. “Actually, don’t. I’ve heard it all. I’ve spoken with Calypso. To your friend Piper. To Nico, to Hazel. You set yourself up for _failure_ , and on purpose.”  
  
Leo looked down at his captured hand, and back up at Michael Kahale.   
“If you don’t let me go of me right now, you’re going to end up with burns that not even nectar will heal.”   
Michael let go, but did not look frightened by the threat.   
  
“I have no idea where you got that idea from. I planned on the cure working, coming back from the fucking dead like a badass, coming back to camp and _then_ freeing Calypso. The _onager_ shook up some steps, blasting me like it did, which, _your fault_ as you pointed out. Doesn’t really sound like I was trying to fuck myself over, given I’m not dead and Calypso is free. Now, please fuck off.” Leo glared, and rubbed his wrist.   
  
Michael stared at him for a minute, before exhaling softly through his nose, and turning around and walking away and out of the Bunker.  
  
“Did he just snort at me?” Leo looked aghast, and turned to the others. “Did he _scoff_ at me? What on earth. What was any of that? Who the fuck is that guy?”  
  
“I’m sorry Leo, I had no idea.” Hazel shook her head, before turning to her Praetor. “Reyna, I really think you should reconsider.”  
  
“Reconsider what?” Leo asked, confused.   
  
“It’s not a good idea,” Nico added. “Imagine what will happen in close quarters.”  
  
“No, Michael is the most qualified. He’s coming.” Reyna said steadfastly, before looking at Leo. “I apologize for his behavior, I hope it won’t negatively impact your impression of him in the future.”  
  
“Well, it won’t help. What is this about?” Leo was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like the answer.  
  
“Michael will be joining you on your next mission.” Reyna said, though she looked like she was reconsidering it even as she said it.  
  
Leo paused, thinking of all their possible next upcoming joint missions, before freezing.   
  
“Holy shit, no. **No**. On the ship? On _my_ ship?” Leo whined, looking to Hazel, hoping she’d take pity on his soul. Hazel looked away, and Leo’s shoulders fell.  
  
-  
  
Their next expedition was to Brazil, it was a joint mission with the higher ranking chosen individuals from both camps. It would be likely a 2 weeklong trip at the very least, all on board the Argo X. (Not that it was actually the tenth ship, but Leo thought X sounded cooler)   
Leo, stupidly, assumed that it meant a sort of vacation with his friends, whom he didn’t see all that often anymore. Sort of his own fault, but still. After the Calypso fall out, things got a bit awkward.  
  
Leo glared at Michael Kahale’s form climbing onto the deck from the gangplank, the other man glanced up at him, but didn’t seem to give much thought to Leo as he passed by and made towards Jason and the others. It was this guy’s fault his plans had been mucked up.  
  
“We didn’t get along at first either,” Frank offered later that day.   
  
“No, _I_ wanted to be friends, because _you_ could turn into a dragon which is awesome; and you didn’t like me because I looked like my great grandfather who dated Hazel-“  
  
“Okay, so, that’s enough,” Frank held up a hand. “Let’s stop there, before it gets weirder.”  
  
“He legitimately hates me. I think. This is weird for me, usually I just annoy people, or bother people. Full out hate is…different. I mean, outside of monsters and Gods and anyone I’ve blasted with a fireball.”  
  
“Look, Leo,” Frank looked out across the empty sky. “I don’t blame you, I don’t think many of us at Camp Jupiter do…but Michael was friends with Octavian. He had to let his friend die, I know it’s awkward, but try not to take it too personally. I think he’s just…working some stuff out.”   
  
-  
  
Leo accepted that, he had. Frank made a lot of sense. Michael was still mourning the loss of a douchebag he had called a friend, and it was easy to point fingers.   
  
“Leo Valdez.”  
  
Except here he was in the engine room, about to drive Leo up a wall again.  
  
“What?” Leo grumbled, resisting the urge to grab at his own hair and pull. A tip of his ear lit on fire.  
  
“You never responded. I am here to push you to reply.” Michael said, crossing his arms across the table from Leo. The red light from the engine gave the whole scene a rather dangerous feel to it. Leo couldn’t use much fire here, not and be safe for everyone else aboard.  
  
“I’m pretty sure my response was, ‘fuck you’.”  
  
“You sabotaged yourself.”   
Leo flipped him the bird.  
“The cure,” Michael ignored him. “You put it in the dragon. You could have easily given it to someone who _wasn’t_ at the blast zone. You could have given it to Hazel, or left it with Piper. You were counting on the _both_ of you being destroyed. You were counting on dying. For good.”  
  
Leo clenched his hands once, and left go. “Admittedly, you’ve done your research…but you’re crazy. I wanted to save Calypso, I never wanted to die. That’s stupid. Do you know how much dying sucks?”  
  
“You did want to die, that’s exactly why you swore on the Styx. You thought it be better you than anyone else to suffer. You knew your relationship was built on Calypso’s curse. Inevitably, you realized your connection wouldn’t last, and she would leave. You didn’t want to return to camp and be alone again. So, you assured that you’d die, alone, but at the very least hero. Maybe you wanted to be reborn, try for a new life.”  
Leo’s jaw was clenched along with his fists.  
  
“You’re wrong. You don’t know anything about me.” Leo’s voice dropped, his nostrils flared, and his hands became alight with flames. It wasn’t on purpose.  
  
Michael tilted his head, watching Leo’s composure fall apart.  
  
“No one does, do they? When they look at you, they see a theatrical production. A mask, a false face. Who truly knows you? Do you even know yourself?”  
  
“Get out!” Leo shouted, feeling the flames spreading across his body. “Just, get out!”  
  
-  
  
“I knew this was a bad idea, but I wasn’t expecting how bad.” Nico said lowly, next to Will and Jason.  They were back at the port stern, keeping watch, but they weren’t looking for monsters out on the horizon. Maybe something deadlier.  
  
“I’ve never seen Leo like this, has it happened before?” Will asked, looking to Jason who had a dark but concerned expression.   
  
“Hints,” Jason replied cryptically. “I’ve seen hints, here and there. But, I’ve _never_ seen him like this.”  
  
Jason had heard from Nico about the initial incident at the Bunker, but Jason had shrugged it off. Leo wasn’t one to take things so seriously, Jason thought. He had had his petty moments, sure, they all had, but they had also been a bit younger at the time. No one was expecting the fall out that came from Leo and Michael.  
 No one wanted to say much, or maybe they weren’t sure what to say. Piper and Annabeth were off the ship investigating a Temple, otherwise they might have intervened. Hazel and Frank weren’t on shift, and were sleeping down below.   
  
Jason crossed his arms and glanced at Nico who had a mildly defensive stance, while Will looked ready to jump in and heal any injuries that might occur.   
   
Seeing Leo screaming at Michael on the port bow ahead of them sent a shiver down their spines.  
It wasn’t infrequent, in the last few days, but it seemed to be getting worse and worse. It was nothing like how Leo and Frank had been upon first meeting, which was mostly snarky insults and cold shoulders.   
Jason had never seen Leo seriously, honestly, infuriated before. Parts of the ship had scorch marks, a lasting testimony to that fury. Jason knew that the children of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto were likely the strongest demigods out there; but after Gaia, Jason suspected if they were to give everything in a fight, Leo would likely be the one delivering the final blow. It worried him, that Leo could theoretically cause serious injury to another person. Jason didn’t think it would be done purposely but…  
  
It had happened a few times, that in anger, Leo actually struck Michael. Michael had yet to retaliate, apart from blocking, or grabbing his hand. Who knew where it would eventually lead, likely to nothing good.  
  
No one was entirely sure what was setting Leo off so much. They only caught snippets of conversation. Michael didn’t seem blameless, but nothing to warrant what was happening.  
  
“Leo,” Jason yelled, walking over, finally having enough. “Calm down.”  
  
Leo’s shoulders locked up, before relaxing; when Leo turned to look at Jason, most of the anger seemed to be gone. Jason frowned. This was a face Jason knew, this was a fairly normal Leo expression. Which called into question how often Leo faked his mood.  
  
“Jason,” Leo grinned, looking exasperated. “I was just about to go check the engines.”  
  
“What about this?” Jason gestured between Leo and Michael. “This needs to stop, Leo. We’re worried about you.”  
  
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was just a run of the mill disagreement.” Leo shrugged, and Jason caught Michael’s expression. He looked disappointed. If he hadn’t known Michael for years, maybe it wouldn’t have been evident, but Jason was certain.  
  
“Leo, you _hit_ him.” Jason sighed, and readjusted his glasses. “Do you need to talk to me about anything?”  
  
Leo slapped Jason lightly on the shoulder, shaking his head. “Hit him is putting it a bit strongly, did I just hit you? By the definition of the word, sure, but I mean… come on. Anyway, look, so I want to talk to you about Brazil. We’re hitting the beaches right? Look, Piper is amazing, but think…Brazilian girls in bikinis.” Leo grabbed Jason’s arm and dragged him away.  
  
“Do you never stop lying?” Michael called from behind them, and from his arm Jason felt Leo’s finger tips heat up just barely.   
  
Jason didn’t know how to fix this, he’d have to talk to Piper, but he didn’t know how much good it would do until Leo actually opened up to them about what the problem was first.   
  
-  
  
Leo snarled and winged a socket wrench at Michael’s skull, which was easily evaded. Wasn’t like he hadn’t had practice, on his 9 th visit.  
  
“How many times have I told you to get OUT of my engine room!”   
  
“I wonder how deep your lies and routines run.” Michael said, in his purposely cryptic sort of speech. Leo slammed his hands down on the table, and circled it before attempting to physically push Michael out of the room. He’d never hit back.  
  
“Do you have anything better to do than bother me?” Leo growled, shoving with all of his skinny armed might, that didn’t do much against a 6’7 Hawaiian son of Linebacker. “What do you do all day? Just plot all the ways to piss me off? Get a fucking hobby.”  
  
“You pretend, because it makes everything easier; you lie because it makes people like you, but it keeps them at an arm’s length.” Michael continued, looking down at Leo who was literally at arm’s length.  
  
“Sure, now _go_.” Leo shoved again, and this time Michael side stepped, and Leo ended up stumbling into empty space. Leo snarled, and made to grab at the man again.  
  
“Your comments and interactions around women bother me, and now I understand why.” Michael really never stopped talking around Leo, which was odd, given how all of the Romans said he was normally tight lipped.  
  
“ _Your_ comments are drenched in the fact you feel guilty about killing Octavian! Guess, what? It couldn’t be helped, I wasn’t to blame, Gaea was. Get the fuck over it, and leave me the hell alone!” Leo mocked Michael’s tone and accent before realizing he wasn’t getting anywhere, and marched back to his work station.  
  
“I understand that, and I’ve accepted my part in Octavian’s death and the circumstances around it. My problem is you, and your lies.”  
  
“Oh my god, I hate you.” Leo wadded up a blueprint, lit it, and flung it at Michael. None of these things ever made contact, or injured him, but it made Leo feel a bit better.  
  
“You’re from Texas, yes?”  
  
Leo paused, this line of questions was different, there wasn’t usually a lot of give and take, just Michael spewing bullshit and Leo yelling in return.  
  
“…Yeah, Houston, so what?” Leo grumbled, shrugging a shoulder.  
  
“Foster care, yes?”  
  
Leo ground his teeth, “yes.”  
  
“I wonder,” Michael took a step closer, Leo could hear it behind him. “What was that like?”  
  
“It was foster care, some of it was fine, some of it sucked. Ask one out of every five campers, they’ll tell you the same thing.”  
  
“Is that where it started? Lying to get by? Pretending to be someone else just to be accepted?”  
  
Leo turned slowly, “what are you getting at?”  
  
“When did it start? When did you realize your disinterest in women made your foster families uncomfortable? Certainly some were quite conservative, in a place like that…”   
  
A memory Leo preferred not to remember flashed through his mind, of a son of a family showing him some porn. What was his name again?    
  
“You’re calling me gay now?” Leo asked, blankly. “Seriously? I have no problem with gay or trans people, have you met half the camp? Try the fuck again.”  
  
“Accepting others, and accepting yourself are different things, and your entire existence is a lie. You have layer over layer, to the point I’m sure you think you’re telling the truth…at least some times.”  
  
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” Leo yelled, pulling at his hair. “You think that is okay? Telling people who and what they are? Even if I was gay, _which I’m not_ , I love girls- you don’t get the right to fucking come in here and tell me who or what I am!”   
  
“You’re right.” Michael nodded. “But, I’ve already said it.”  
  
Leo’s hands, feet and ears lit up. “Get the fuck out.”  
  
“Every time you talk about girls, it’s a distraction. You’re only interested in women you know would never be interested in you, it gives you an out. You can sound heterosexual, while never having to actually date or be tied down to any one place. Your interest in Calypso was more about saving yourself, than it was her, because you saw yourself in her place. Alone. So, when you spoke of her, you only mention the things that set her apart from yourself, her looks, to distance yourself. And, in the end, what happened between the two of you?”  
  
“Stop,” Leo warned. He didn’t want to think about him and Calypso right now, or…ever really.  
  
“How early?” Michael reiterated. “Which family was it? Did they tell you it was a sin, that it was disgusting? Did other children call you strange, or weird?”  
  
“Stop it. Shut up.” Leo hissed, fingers tightening on the side of his head. This was stupid, so stupid. He liked girls. Why did he have a headache? No, he liked girls. Right?  
The Warners, Mark, the eldest son.  Leo had pushed the magazine away, Mark said he was _weird_. He said other things too. Soon, the neighbor kids were calling him slurs. Leo ran away, but he learned what not to say.  
  
“No,” Michael grabbed Leo’s shoulder and pushed him up against the desk, which he’d never done before. “Tell me. How young were you?”  
  
“I was ten!” Leo yelled, finally snapping. “Okay? Are you happy? I was ten!”  
  
Michael let go, and said nothing. Leo’s jaw snapped closed.  
  
“I’m not gay,” Leo whispered. “I’m not-“  
  
“You liked him, didn’t you? Jason.” Michael asked, and Leo felt his blood freeze.  
  
“No,” Leo shook his head. Stupid question. “No, Jason is my friend, he’s Pipers boyfriend.”  
  
“You avoid them, when they’re together, because why? Because, maybe, you’re upset he picked her.”  
  
“Shut up, that isn’t it.” Who didn’t like Jason, on some level?  
  
“He’s so close with Nico. He accepted Nico so easily. They’re such good friends now. You feel he’s replacing you, so you hold up in your bunker.”  
  
“Stop,” Leo’s voice cracked. “Stop, just stop.”   
  
“No.”  
  
Leo cursed and tried to push away, but Michael put out an arm to stop him. “Why?! Why me? Why are you doing this? Why do you hate me so much?”  
  
“I don’t hate you, Leo.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends, don't ...actually do what Michael is doing here. It's...not cool. It's a fanfic. He's not right either.


End file.
